Code: Home
by BeautifulBLHell
Summary: Akihito, a young genius hacker living in with Asami. Working in an internet cafe in the day and coming home to Asami in the night. Peaceful life, isn't it? Well, that's not going to last anymore. The past that he had left behind start to resurface when a certain someone reappears, threatening Akihito and Asami's life. With no choice, Akihito is forced to confront the shadow of
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys, it's me again!

I know I haven't written in quite a while, and I'll admit 2019 hadn't been such a productive year, but I'm hoping 2020 will be different!

One of my resolutions is start to write more, so here's the start of my goal:)

As always, any constructive criticism, suggestions and reviews are highly welcome ~

Also, apologies for any grammar errors, this is all proofread by myself. Feel free to point them out and I'll check over them!

On a side note, I'm interested in writing my own story (BL of course) and I'm thinking of posting it on Wattpad (same username there, beautifulotomehell) or is there any sites you guys recommend that's good for serialisation pieces?

And I wish all of you a prosperous and good health in 2020!^^

Feel free to follow me on , AO3 and Wattpad: BeautifulOtomeHell

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Finder characters, but the plot and OC are made up by me:)

* * *

_Click click click_

The rhythmic sound of tapping of keyboard echoed in the small booth.

A young man with blond hair sat scrunched up in front of a computer, staring intently at the screen with a slight frown, all the time his fingers flew across the keyboard.

Suddenly, a shrill alarm sounded, and the young man jerked up before cursing under his breath. Using one hand to rub the spot between his eyebrows, he used the other to press stop on his phone. Then, with a yawn, he leaned back against the chair and stretched.

"Finished just on time," he mumbled, and leaned back down to shut the computer and pack his things.

Opening the dark booth, he squinted against the harsh light of the corridor, wincing slightly.

He was just going to turn left to head towards the exit, when he saw that the door to the booth next to his was slightly open. He glanced inside.

The boy's shoulders were slumped, and an aura of dejection emitting from his being. On top of that, his dark hair was messy, and wore clothes that looked as if they hadn't been changed for a few days.

Perhaps he heard the blond man's footsteps, the messy haired boy suddenly turned his face towards the door and locked eyes with the blond man.

_Crap_, though Akihito, recognising the helpless look on the boy's face.

"Akihito-senpai, please wait here for a second!" With a sudden burst of energy, the boy shot out of his seat and ran towards the end of the corridor. Before Akihito could proceed what had happened, he was back, holding a can of iced coffee. Sliding the last few metres on his knees, he prostrated against the floor to Akihito.

"Akihito-senpaaaai, I beg of you! This is the last time! I promise! Please help me!" The boy cried agonisingly.

Akihito sighed. "Didn't you say that last time was the 'last time'? And the time before that? On second thought, didn't you say every time was the 'last time'?"

"Please! I swear this is the last time! If you don't help me I will never see tomorrow's sun!"

Akihito shook his head in defeat. "Fine, I'll help you."

The boy cried in relief. "Thank you so much, Akihito-samaaaaa! I love you!"

"H-hey, don't rub you snot-covered face on my clothes!"

"Ah, please accept this!"

Kai held up the can of iced coffee.

Akihito stared at it, pretending to be offended. "Is that all my service is worth, a can of coffee?"

"I'm really sorry, I really can't afford anything else at the moment! I promise once I finish this I'll make up to you!" Tears welled up in Kai's eyes again, and he stared at Akihito like a tortured puppy.

"It's fine, I finished my work anyway, send me the details and I'll get it back to you before the day ends." Akihito patted Kai's head.

"But you have to go home and get some sleep. Right now you look like a withered cabbage."

After exchanging goodbyes, Akihito left Kai, who was still crying on the ground with relief. Several heads were popped out from the other booths, staring at them in wonder.

Outside, Akihito strolled further down the street to the convenience store.

There weren't any convenience stores near where he currently lived, only those upscale luxury stores with expensive imported stuff from God-knows-where, probably Mars.

The doors of the store opened with a familiar chime as Akihito stepped in, followed by a cool blast of air from the air con.

"Welcome," a soft voice greeted him from the cashier, to which Akihito smiled and nodded in response.

Taking a detour through the sweets aisle before heading towards the ready meals section, Akihito dithered at the wide range of foods available, still not used to the freedom of choosing whatever he wants to eat, but in the end, he still bought the cheap yakisoba set with a bottle of ramune.

The young man at the counter was in his late twenties, and looked more suitable in front of a fashion magazine than in front of a cashier in a cheap convenience store. The name tag displayed his name as 'Natsume'.

Natsume had just started working here a few weeks ago, and since Akihito comes here everyday, they were both familiar with each other, and since Natsume seemed like a pleasant person, sometimes they even exchanged a word or two.

With his dinner in hand, he went back to the parking area of the internet café to where his beloved Vespa stood.

Riding along the streets, he passed the familiar run-down apartments until the scenery blended into the high-class imposing condos.

Penthouse apartment. In the middle of Tokyo. Akihito could practically smell the money coming off from the people living there. Except for him. Even the housekeepers here have a more stable income than him. No wonder the concierge's mouth was agape the first time he came here.

Once he opened the door to the apartment, he held his breath, automatically listening for footsteps, then shook his head when he realised that it was no longer necessary for him to be so cautious.

Taking off his shoes and carrying his dinner to the living room, Akihito dropped his dinner on the table in front of the sofa. After changing and grabbing his laptop in his room, he sat crossed legged on the sofa. Opening his email, he smiled wryly at the message Kai sent, with so many crying emojis at the title.

Cracking his knuckles slightly, he began to work.

An hour later, Akihito closed the lid of the laptop. It wasn't as much of a challenge as he hoped it would be, but then again, some peace and quiet weren't so bad either.

He yawned and closed his eyes. It's been a long day. Maybe he would take a quick nap before eating dinner... just 30 minutes of break...

It was dark

So dark

And silent

Then

Red.

Everything turned blood red, and he choked.

The pressure on his neck intensified.

Blood rushes towards his head, and his ears rang.

Fingers dug deeper into his neck.

He clawed desperately at the object suffocating him, but all his hands met were empty air.

Dark spots appeared against his crimson vision, and he could feel his conscious slowly slipping away.

_Help_

His lips parted to form the words, yet no sound came out.

_I don't want to die_

_I don't want to be alone_

_Please, anyone_

_Save me_

Akihito was steadily slipping into oblivion.

The dark seemed so welcoming, so safe.

"Akihito."

The voice was muffled, as if he was hearing it underwater.

"Akihito."

The voice was more distinct now, and suddenly, he was pulled up, towards the light that had appeared overhead him.

"Akihito, wake up."

And Akihito woke up.

In one fluid motion, he jerked up and quickly curled into a ball, trembling, his head in his arms. His heart pounded inside his chest and his mouth felt paper dry as he waited for the inevitable, except...

"Akihito, it's me."

The voice was soft, yet an underlying tone of command forced Akihito to look up from inside his shell. He slowly lifted his head upwards to peek through his arms that acted like bars in front of his face.

A pair of narrow golden eyes were staring at him, with a hint of concern in the depth of his gaze.

Asami.

In an instant, relief flooded through Akihito, draining away all his energy, and he slumped against the sofa.

"What the heck, don't scare me like that," he grumbled, yet was secretly glad that it was Asami whom he saw when he woke up.

"A nightmare?"

Akihito tensed, before saying sharply: "Did I say anything?"

Asami started at him for a second, before merely shaking his head and stood up.

Asami Ryuichi.

The man that was more like a god than a mortal. Akihito has yet to meet another human that rivals Asami's beauty. Even Natsume paled in comparison.

And he was the one whom Akihito currently lived with.

"By the way, where did you get that? It tasted like salted cardboard."

"Wha-? You ate my food? That was my dinner!"

Akihito scampered up and looked at dismay at the box in front of him. Only half of the yakisoba was left.

"That doesn't seem to qualify as food."

"Well, excuse me if commoner's food doesn't suit your-highness' rich palate, but us peasants care more about stuffing our stomaches than the taste."

"You could have ordered food using my card. You have already memorised all of my card details, no?"

"As if I would use your card." He snorted. "I can earn my own food at least. Hah, I'll just finish this."

Akihito ate a few bites half heartedly before giving up. It's true. It indeed tasted like salted cardboard. Or salted leather shoe soles to be more precise. Plus that nightmare had left an unpleasant sinking feeling in his stomach so he wasn't feeling too hungry.

"I'm going to bed. Good night." Akihito stood up with the box half full of food and dumped it in the trash in the kitchen before heading towards his bedroom.

Asami looked up from his documents in his hand.

"Want to sleep in my bed tonight, Akihito?"

"Hah?! Why would I, you perverted old man?! Stay at least three metres away from me when I'm sleeping," Akihito yelled and slammed his door shut.

In the now silent living room, Asami sat there, looking at the sofa where Akihito had slept with a displeased look on his face.

Morning came all the too quickly, and Akihito sat up blearily, rubbing his eyes. He didn't sleep well. The nightmare continued during the night. He could only hope that he didn't screamed anymore.

After finished washing up and getting dressed, he was greeted by a low humming noise of conversation when he opened his bedroom door.

_Who is here so early in the morning?_Akihito wondered. Asami was usually still asleep at this time of the day. Akihito walked quietly towards the living room, wanting to take a peek at the visitors without disturbing them, hoping all the way that it was not Asami's bespectacled secretary.

Before Akihito could get closer to hear clearly what the two men were saying, they seemed to have noticed Akihito's arrival and the low hum of conversation abruptly stopped.

Akihito, knew that he can't turn tail now, opened the door.

Asami sat in one of the armchairs, somehow still looking imposing in a white bathrobe, and the other person sat opposite Asami. His trench coat hung behind the chair, and wore a waistcoat with a dark tie. His short hair was neatly trimmed and on his face sat a pair of glasses, yet Akihito could not help the smile blooming on his face.

"Shinji!"

Akihito bounded over to Kuroda.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back? Wait, when did you get back? How was Osaka? Did you visit any hot springs? I've heard that some hot springs got medicinal properties, is that true?"

Kuroda laughed as Akihito fired off hundreds of questions.

"Wait, let me get a word in please," he smiled. "I only got back yesterday evening. As it was too late, I didn't notify you of my arrival as I didn't want to wake you up. The original plan was to come back tomorrow, but we cleared things up quicker than expected so I'm back early. And yes, I did visit the hot spring. It was very relaxing. I highly recommend you going there sometime. Also, here," Kuroda turned around and rummaged though his pockets before taking out a small bag with a ribbon on top, and handed it to Akihito.

"Lavender scented bath salts with calming effects. It should give the user a good night sleep."

"Oh wow, thanks! I'll try them tonight!" Akihito beamed at the present, then suddenly seemed to remember something as he dashed to his room and back, with a sheaf of documents in his hand.

Asami raised his eyebrows questioning but Akihito shook his head and said seriously, "It's confidential," before handing it to Kuroda.

"Then I'm glad that I finished this yesterday. Here, proof that Kawaguchi had been laundering money. He asked me to look into Kamado's email to see if there's anything juicy, but since I saw in your emails that you were interested in Kawaguchi, I helped you to dig out some dirt on him." Akihito grinned cheekily.

The corners of Asami's lip curved upwards and he took a sip of his whiskey before asking, "Client confidentiality?"

Akihito stuck out his tongue at him.

Kuroda smiled wryly. "This is a great help, so thank you, Akihito, but to hear that my emails were read..."

"Don't worry, there's nothing interesting about your emails. Only thing though, those shots of the cat were really ugly."

"So you also looked into my photo album..."

Akihito laughed.

Just then, Akihito's phone rang. He took the phone out of his pocket before pulling a face.

"I gotta go. Work calls."

Kuroda started to get up but Akihito waved at him to sit down.

"Don't worry, you and that boss guy over there continue your chat before I interrupted you. I'll see you guys later."

The front door closed with a soft click, and a heavy mood settled over the living room.

"Ryuichi, how is he doing?"

Asami was silent for a few seconds, before shaking his head and replying grimly: "He's still having nightmares."

Kuroda sighed softly. "It's been 2 years."

"Some scars take a long time to heal. Others never do."

"We can only hope that it's the former one."

The two men sat motionlessly, each lost in their own thoughts. After a while, Asami spoke up.

"Any news?"

Kuroda shook his head.

"Nothing substantial."

"But he's still alive."

Kuroda looked at Asami carefully.

"And what would you do if he was?"

Asami flickered his eyes towards Kuroda, a quiet storm brewing behind his eyes. "He still screams himself awake at nights, and sometimes he doesn't want to go back to sleep because of the nightmares."

"And I suppose that he's dead set against any sleeping pills."

Asami nodded darkly.

"I won't keep you here any longer. I'll keep in touch if anything new comes up, but keep in mind he's got quite a network of allies."

"The more people that are involved the more likely there will be a traitor to come out."

Kuroda nodded, before heading off.

Asami's mood didn't lift the entire day, and it worsened during his meeting with a small clan's head, who came to Asami hoping for business deals.

It was already nearing the end of the discussion when the elder man made the blunder.

"So I've heard that you've been keeping a pet by your side for quite a while now? My, my, isn't this quite unusually for the great Asami? However, it would be my greatest honour to meet this lady of yours someday."

His words meant no harm, but simply said at the wrong time.

The last word hadn't left his mouth when the whole room became frigid.

"I-is something wrong, Asami-sama?" The man asked nervously, playing with his hands.

"And where did you get this information, Yamaguchi-san?"

"A-ah? It's just there's rumours floating around..." Yamaguchi's voice died when the temperature in the room dropped another 10 degrees, and the look in Asami's eyes froze him before he babbled. "I-it was the head of the Sh-shimada-gumi who told me that. I swear I don't know anything else, please believe me..."

He was still babbling by the time Asami left.

Inside the car, the only sound that could be heard was the purr of the engine. Kirishima took a quick glance in the rear view mirror, and found Asami's brows tightly furrowed.

_Akihito's security is going to tighten_, Kirishima thought, half dreading the process of finding another victim as Akihito's bodyguard.

Indeed, his prediction came true.

"Change the security for Akihito to 24/7 except when he's inside the apartment with me. Keep watching him even if he's inside the apartment but I'm not there."

"Yes sir."

Akihito spotted Kai waving at him near the back of the café.

He looked much more refreshed. A bath, a good night sleep and a change of clothes really do wonders.

"Over here, Akihito-senpai!"

Kai was literally radiating sunshine and flowers with his enthusiasm, and Akihito could help but smile when looking at his bright face.

The café that Kai told him to come to was a really popular café, and its patrons were mostly girls or couples, as the cute cakes were highly popular with females. Akihito secretly wanted to come but didn't have the guts to come as a single guy.

"Thank you again for last time! You really saved me! Please order whatever you feel like, it's all on me." Kai's eyes were sparkling. It seemed like the guy yesterday wailing about work was entirely different person. I_should have bought sunglasses_, staring at this new sunshine Kai hurts his eyes.

"How did you get a reservation here? I heard that you usually have to book in weeks in advance."

"Ah, I asked the owner for help, and he helped me to reserve a place for us today. Seems like he knows the owner here." Kai beamed innocently.

_The owner is weak to cute boys like you. Watch out or he will end up devouring you. _

Akihito thought.

Suddenly the couple sitting next to him stared at the TV in surprise.

"No way, isn't that guy, like, the super famous politician or something?" The guy said.

"Oh yeah, it is! It's Kawaguchi-sensei. Apparently there's rumours he's going to be the next prime minster. "

The name caught Akihito by surprise and his eyes automatically gravitated towards the TV at the back of the room. The scene currently showing on the screen was a man with his head bowed being lead away by police officers. They were surrounded by reporters whom were all trying to shove their mics in the man's face while asking questions. A voice said: "Police officers are seen escorting Kawaguchi Koda away from his house after reports came in of him laundering money. This will no doubt be a stain on his career and the possibility of him becoming the next prime minister is rapidly decreasing. And now we have reports in that all of his assets are frozen by the police until further notice."

"Ah, I was going to vote him as the prime minster. Politician are all the same, dirty scumbags."

"Yeah, as they say, 'you really can't judge a book by its cover'."

The café was instantly abuzz with the latest news, yet Akihito's mouth was wide open. The words 'all his assets are frozen' kept replaying in his head, yet is was as if his brain was frozen, unable to comprehend those simple words.

"Akihito-senpai? Is something the matter?" Kai peered at him worriedly.

"Argh!" Akihito let out a frustrated groan. "Damn it! I won't be paid at this rate." He banged his head on the table in frustration.

"Kawaguchi-sensei is your client?" Kai's eyes widen in surprise.

"Shhh. Not so loud. But yeah, he is. Or was. With his accounts frozen I won't be paid." Akihito's voice was bitter. And the help he gave Kuroda came back to bite his ass.

"Oh." Kai frowned before saying, "Look, you helped me yesterday, and because you finished so quickly, I also got a bonus. How about I give you half the amount I got?"

"No it's fine."

"But I feel bad. How about just the bonus? My patron was quite generous this time."

"It's fine, I'll just be broke for a few days before my next pay. I've already got another job lined up," Akihito gestured at his phone.

"Will your rent and everything be okay?"

_Don't worry, I leech of my 'landlord' at the moment, _Akihito thought.

"Then at least let me order you another creme brûlée," while speaking, he waved down the waitress to place the order.

"If you ever need anything, doesn't hesitate to ask me okay? Though I might not be able to help much with work, but if you ever need somewhere to stay or someone to talk to, I'll be here, okay?" Kai smiled and held Akihito's hand with both hands.

"Thanks." Akihito smiled. Truthfully, he actually liked Kai, though usually he hated people who were so talkative and always leaked so much energy that Akihito simply felt tired just by looking at them. Maybe it was because Kai never probed about his private life or past, or knew when to stop pushing for answers.

Then, their orders came.

The creme brûlée looked delicious. With its bubbling scorched sugar and the hint of yellow creaminess below that. Akihito had just taken one mouthful of bliss when Kai stared wide eye at something behind his back. Then he leaned forward and whispered excitedly to Akihito.

"Hey! There's an ikemen behind you! He's so good looking! But what's he doing here in a suit and alone?"

And for the second time in the day, Akihito froze.

Akihito turned around slowly, praying to whatever diety that was listening to him right now that his suspicion would be false.

Of course, fortune never seemed to favour him, and with a sinking feeling, he saw a man in a suit sitting a couple of tables away from him. Staring straight at him.


	2. New Guard

Hey guys! The next chapter is here ~

（＾ω＾）

I don't have my laptop anymore °(ಗдಗ。)°so I'm typing and posting everything on my phone, which keeps messing things up as it's really old, so I apologise for any mistakes etc.

Note: I'm keeping the names the Japanese way, surname then first name.

As always, I hope you enjoy this!

Senpai: used for someone who is older than you who is studying/working the same subject as you.

Chan: this honorific is normally used for girls or younger children to show affection so when Akihito uses it he was trying to irritate Haru.

* * *

Akihito stared at the contents in the pot, wondering what went wrong.

The recipe said to brown the onion and meat, so why is it all stuck to the pan bottom?

Akihito gave up scraping it. He dumped in the vegetables he prepared earlier and prayed for the best. Turning towards the rice cooker, he peered inside. At least the rice was still white.

Surely curry shouldn't be this difficult?

While the vegetables were cooking, Akihito went to the dining room to set the table.

Halfway through it, a burnt smell wafted into the room.

_Crap_, Akihito thought. He raced to the kitchen and saw the pot had boiled over.

It was this scene that Asami came home to.

"O-Oh, hey. You are home early."

Akihito smiled sheepishly, blocking the sight of the battle in the kitchen by standing in the doorway.

Asami looked surprised. "Are you cooking?"

"Uh-yeah. A change of pace? Hahaha."

There was a brief silence, then, "Did you hit your head?"

Akihito fumed. "Of course not. I've cooked before."

Half an hour later, both of them sat down at the table, with a plate of food resembling curry and rice in front of them.

In the middle of the table, there was a pot of cactus with flowers stuck on it, encircled by candles that made it seem like a sacrifice for a ritual.

To no one surprise, the 'food' was inedible. Akihito took one mouthful of curry before choking and quickly spat it out. It had a burnt taste that lingered in the mouth. The vegetables were still hard inside. So was the rice.

The only 'cooking' experience Akihito had before was boiling the water for instant noodles.

"You don't have to eat it, you know." Akihito watched as Asami brought the food to his mouth.

But Asami said nothing and soon finished the whole plate, even though Akihito couldn't swallow more than two bites. He wondered if there's something wrong with Asami's taste buds. Maybe too much high-class food killed his taste buds?

After dinner, they sat in front of the TV. Akihito switched between the channels aimlessly, his eyes flitting towards Asami every now and then.

Then, he cleared his throat and started. "Um, Asami, there's something I wanna talk to you about-"

"No."

"-I met this person yesterday who said you - huh? What do you mean?"

"Just what I said, no."

"Wait, wait, wait, I think we are having some misunderstanding, I'm talking about the new-"

"Akihito, if this is about the new guard I got you, no, I won't withdraw him as your guard."

"Seriously, I don't need a guard. Why do I need a guard? Am I a princess? Or some kind of endangered species?"

Yet, no matter how hard he argued, his protest fell onto deaf ears.

Akihito's mood was black. The furious clicking of the keyboard echoed ominously in the corridor. Nobody dared to approach him.

When they saw Kai approaching Akihito during lunch hour, they all muttered a silent thanks to him. No one could be angry for long around Kai.

"Hey Akihito-senpai!"

Kai's energy made Akihito so tired that he had no more energy to be angry, so he listened in resignation to Kai's complaints about his work.

"Mostly the work I get nowadays is going through their wife's or husband's phone or computer to see if they've cheated or not. Doesn't this make me a private detective instead? Should I just change my name to Kailock Holmes? And why am I the one being screamed at down the phone? It's not like I'm the one who cheated with their wives... Ah, dealing with people are so hard. One guy told me he will stuff me into a paper shredder. Why? Did God abandon me? Hey, please introduce me to some of your clients. I just did what they told me to and now I'm being threatened to be shredded. Hey Akihito-Senpai, if I die, you will avenge me right?"

"Oh yeah, was everything okay after you left yesterday? You acted kinda funny after you saw that guy."

"Uh- everything was fine, just thought he was someone I knew." Akihito replied lamely. No way could he tell Kai the truth. That he lives with a mafia boss who insisted he have his own guard.

He thought back to this morning.

*Several hours earlier*

Asami introduced him to his new guard in the morning.

"Akihito, this is Tsukushima Haru, your new guard."

Akihito was sitting with his knees drawn up on the sofa, sulking.

"I said I don't need one," he muttered. Better make the guard quit as soon as possible. Kirishima would no doubt throw another fit, but Akihito would be guard-free for a while before Kirishima finds him the next guard.

He turned to look at the new person. It was indeed the person that was watching him in the café yesterday.

The new guard bowed. "My name is Tsukushima Haru. It is my greatest honour to be able to serve you."

The man was quite young. Probably in his mid-late 20s. He was quite good looking, but every handsome men seemed to have their beauty diminished while in the same room as Asami.

Straight-laced, serious, with a face that never smiled, and a neatly brushed hair. It was those kind of people that harbours the most secrets, while seemingly so harmless on the surface. Akihito guessed it would take no more than a few weeks for this new one to resign.

He didn't notice Asami was smirking at him.

"I'm going to work."

Once outside, Akihito plastered a fake smile on his face. "Did you say your name was Tsukushima Haru? So is it alright if I call you Haru-chan? Sounds cute right?"

He was met with a blank expression, then, "Call me whatever suits you, Takaba-sama."

"Alright, I'm going to work now, Haru-chan, see you-blrgh?!"

Haru got him by his collar and was dragging him towards a shiny black car.

"Hey! Where are you taking me?!"

"Didn't you say you needed to go to work?"

"Yes, so let me go get my Vespa!"

"You think it's safe to ride on that piece of junk?"

"Junk?! How dare you call that 'junk'! That's my precious baby!"

Akihito was finally allowed to ride on his Vespa, only because he had called Asami and threatened to never speak to him again did Asami agree to let him on his Vespa.

Akihito finished the call and turned triumphantly towards Haru, who glanced at him and turned away. "Tsk."

"Wait, did you just clicked your tongue at me?"

"No, you are just hearing things."

"Seriously, what's with your change of attitude?!"

~ Present ~

Akihito stood in front of the hot food section in his usual convenience store, irritated. How come there was nothing on Tsukushima Haru? It's like the guy was deliberately wiped clean of any trace.

Or maybe it was a fake name?

All he could find was his name and address.

Maybe he should go through Kirishima's computer to find out...

While thinking, he opened his wallet and scowled.

That cactus plant costed a lot, so much that it rendered his wallet nearly weightless.

He wanted to make Asami in a good mood with dinner yesterday so he could ask him to withdraw his guard, but he only ended up spending unnecessary money.

That bastard probably knew what he wanted to ask the moment he came home.

He handed the yakisoba box to Natsume at the counter.

"Are you not going to buy a bottle of Ramune this time?"

"I'm trying to save up a bit."

Natsume grabbed a bottle of Ramune, and handed it to Akihito. "I used my employee discount here so you don't have to pay any extra for that." He smiled that smile that only pretty men can.

"Ah, I feel bad to inconvenience you, but thank you."

"Hmm~ as a thank you gift, how about we exchange numbers?"

"Huh?"

"Well, to be honest, I've always wanted to talk to you. Plus, if you do, I'll use my discount on you every time."

Akihito was a bit wary at the beginning, but the mention of discount got him. He took out his phone and they exchanged numbers.

Finally in a better mood, he hummed as he got on his Vespa to head back home. The roar of the engine drowned out the sound of his phone ringing.

Caller: Unknown


	3. Cooking Tutor

Ever since Akihito appeared in Asami's life, Kirishima's life has been made harder.

It was not that Kirishima detested work, rather, he would happily work 48 hours every day for Asami, but the brat had to make unnecessary work for him to do.

Like finding guards for him.

Kirishima had long lost count of the number of guards Akihito went though.

When Akihito first came to live with Asami, he often didn't come back, preferring to stay overnight in the Internet cafe.

In the beginning, Asami didn't realize Akihito wasn't going back to the condo at night since his schedule only allowed him to come back in the early mornings. With the lights turned off, he thought Akihito was asleep, but once he realised the boy wasn't there, he ordered that Akihito was to be dragged back to sleep properly.

Unsurprisingly, the task of dragging Akihito back always fell onto Kirishima

And it wasn't an easy task.

Soon, Asami decided to assign a special guard for Akihito, to make sure he goes back to the condo on time.

Kirishima finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Only it didn't last long.

After a few weeks at the most, the guards would come crying to Kirishima, begging him to let them resign their position as Akihito's guard.

He could somehow find the photos of you wetting the bed when you were 8 and 'persuaded' you to leave, or he might 'accidentally' send it to all your colleagues.

Akihito's existence in Asami's life was known only to a few, even for those who work for Asami, only a selected few knew of Akihito.

Frustrated, Kirishima had nearly pulled himself bald with the task of finding a new guard, as all those that met the requirements had guard Akihito before, when Asami suggested Haru.

Kirishima frowned. "But he got the potential to be one of your personal guards."

Asami waved his hand. "I don't need any more guards."

_At least they got that in common_. Kirishima sighed inwardly.

"Tsukushima should be able to deal with Akihito."

_So a former delinquent is going to look after another delinquent,_ Kirishima thought . _Hopefully this one will last longer._

* * *

Akihito ended up tossing and turning in bed most of the night.

Only a few people knew his number, so who was the caller?

It couldn't be ..._ that person_ ... right?

Akihito mentally slapped himself before his thoughts could spiral down that direction.

_Relax, he can't hurt you here_. He tried to allay his fears by repeating that over and over.

After wresting with his thought with what felt like an eternity, he finally closed his eye, but after a second, he opened them again.

Or what he thought was a second.

The bright sun had casted a long thin strip of light on his floor through the curtain, signalling it was nearly noon.

The normally quiet apartment were filled with the sounds of cooking, and the smell of food wafted to his nose.

Akihito's stomach growled in response.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, he went to see what was happening.

Kirishima stood in the kitchen with an apron, cooking.

His eyebrow furrowed when he saw Akihito.

"It's already 11:36 and you are still in you pyjamas. Go and get dressed. Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Yes, mom." Akihito saluted, and saw a vein bulge from Kirishima's temple. He snickered.

At the table, Akihito regraded Asami silently while they ate.

It was the first time they ever ate breakfast together. Usually, by the time Akihito left for work, Asami was still sleeping.

Even if he woke up late today, it was still an aberration that Asami was eating at home. Normally, Asami goes to a traditional Japanese restaurant to have his breakfast.

Stuffing another mouthful of rice, Akihito asked.

"Why are you eating breakfast here?"

"..."

Kirishima, who was in the process of refilling Asami's bowl, set his mouth in a grim line.

Asami continued to sip his miso soup, then replied mildly: "There was a rat in the kitchen."

"A rat? What-"

"Takaba." Kirishima interrupted. "Don't talk with your mouth full. And you should get ready to leave soon."

Akihito glared at Kirishima, swallowed, and poke his tongue out behind Kirishima's back.

The corner of Asami's mouth lifted slightly.

"Akihito. Ride with Haru this week."

"N-o-p-e."

Kirishima's glasses flashed. But Asami cut in before he could say anything.

"It's either that option or not going to work."

Seeing Akihito's puzzled look, he clarified: "Your Vespa has been sent away for maintenance. For a week."

Akihito blew a gust of air out of his nose and stared angrily at Asami "A whole week? What kind of shitty garage did you sent it to that takes that long? And without my permission? Where is my baby?"

"It is in good hands. I personally know the mechanic. Plus, I'll give you a present if you are good."

Akihito looked suspiciously at Asami's smile.

Nope. Nothing good ever comes out when Asami was smiling.

He opened his mouth to argue, but Kirishima's glasses were flashing dangerously. He knew if he pushed any more Mr. Glasses will really burst a vein.

He doesn't plan to go to jail for murder.

* * *

Once Asami saw Akihito left with Haru, he turned to Kirishima. His voice icy.

"Find out all the culprits within a week."

Kirishima bowed. "Of course, Asami-sama."

* * *

When Asami told Haru this morning he was to drive Akihito for this week, he expected the younger man to put up some resistance. Instead, Akihito was surprisingly quiet and obedient, following Haru into the parking level without any complaint. Haru casted a brief glance at him. Akihito was biting his lips, seemingly deep in thoughts.

Once in the car, Akihito leaned forward towards the drivers seat.

"Hey, what happened?"

Haru continued to look forward, acting as if Akihito had not spoken.

"You know, right? What happened at the restaurant?"

"..."

"I promise I won't cause any problems for you this week. I'll go home on time."

"..."

"I'll listen to your all orders this week."

"..."

"I won't call you Haru-chan anymore."

"..."

After a while, seeing his pleas won't work, Akihito finally turned to threats.

"If you don't tell me, I'll destroy Sion's system and blame it on you." Akihito threatened.

Haru sighed.

Maybe it would be easier to tell him, and stop him persisting Kirishima and Asami.

Also, sooner or later the boy is going to find out.

He quietly said, "Someone tried to poison his food."

Akihito breath was stuck in his throat, his mouth agape.

He thought Asami meant there was just a spy in the kitchen. To think someone actually tried to poison Asami...

"How did Asami find out?" The words were barely a whisper.

Haru's brows pulled together,and his answered with a voice laced with quiet anger.

"They deviated from Asami's normal breakfast. They added pickled cabbage as the side. Probably the sour taste was easier to hide the poison's flavour. Kirishima then noticed one of the cooks acting unnaturally. He is now trying to find out who was responsible. We can't trust a housekeeper to cook for Asami, so Kirishima has taken up the task, but he's got a lot of work too..."

"I'll cook."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Huh?"

"What?" Akihito said defensively, crossing his arm.

"Can you even cook?" Haru looked dubiously in the rear view mirror at Akihito.

"Sure I can!" Akihito replied confidently, then remembering the disastrous dinner, "Well, at least I can try..."

Haru snorted. "That's a no then. I'm not surprised."

Akihito fumed. "Not like you can cook either."

"I can."

"Bet you can't. And cup noodles doesn't count."

Haru's eyes twitched.

"At least I can cook better than you."

"Fine, how about you come over after work and we see who is better?"

"Deal."

* * *

After Haru had parked the car and called Kirishima, reporting that everything was fine, he headed up to the penthouse.

He had just opened the door when a gust of smoke choked him. Something definitely burnt. Praying that the kitchen itself wasn't burnt, he quickly headed inside to the site of destruction.

Akihito was standing in front of the stove, staring quizzically inside a pot.

"What the hell are you doing? Why isn't the fire alarm ringing?"

"I turned it off 'cause my cooking had a tendency to set it off and it's rather annoying. And I'm cooking onions."

Haru grabbed the pot and looked inside. Then, he slapped a hand to his forehead.

Turned out the boy's cooking skills were way below his expectations.

"You are just making charcoal here. Didn't you put oil in first? And don't use so much heat. You also need to have the other ingredients ready before cooking."

Akihito stared at him as if he had started singing opera in ancient Greek.

"Didn't you say that you won't cause me any problems? Look, how about I'll cook for today and you can do the salad."

Akihito nodded, and Haru took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and set to work.

It turned out Haru really can cook. The knife never paused, chopping and slicing the ingredients with high precision and without any hesitation. Akihito looked at him in awe.

It was then he noticed there were piercing holes in Haru's ears.

_Maybe he was in a gang?_

The image of Haru on a motorcycle easily came to his mind.

Somehow, he got the feeling if he asked, Haru would likely not answer them.

* * *

By the time Asami came home, dinner was laid out Haru had already left. An enticing aroma drifted from the bowls.

Asami looked at the food in front of him.

Akihito puffed out his chest proudly, "I helped to make these." _The salad_ , he added silently in his head.

The food truly was delicious, rivaling even five star restaurants. Akihito ate so much that he felt like he was going to burst. He was lounging on the sofa when he noticed Asami was stacking up the plates. Just as he was about to jump up to help, Asami shook his head.

"You should rest after eating that much."

Akihito gladly compiled. Moving too much now while he was so full will definitely make him feel sick.

After a short while, Asami came back. He grabbed his cigarettes and headed towards the balcony.

It was dusk.

The setting sun casted an orange hue on Asami's face, highlighting his perfect features.

The silence was peaceful, and Akihito padded next to Asami, watching the sun slowly sink into the horizon.

In the quietness, Asami asked. "Do you not like living here?"

Akihito turned and looked at him in confusion.

"Where did you get that idea?"

"You don't seem to want to come back here."

"Oh. Er- I, I just don't like to stay alone in an empty house, you know." He mumbled, eyes trained firmly on the floor.

Coming back to a place where he could sleep properly had been nice. It was a thousand times better than sleeping in front of a computer, and getting a stiff neck when he woke up.

Asami nodded understandably.

"I'll try and come back earlier then."

This caught Akihito is surprise.

"You will?"

Asami nodded. "I did say I will look after you. But you have to come home on time."

The images from that rainy day slowly creeped up from the back of Akihito's mind, and he shook his head, dismissing those thoughts.

He turned his sight towards the sun again.

All that was left was a thin sliver of red.

Soon, even that will be pushed into the horizon by the darkness.

"How's Tsukushima?"

Akihito shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ok, I guess."

Asami smirked. "A high praise from the guy who scares off his guards."

"I told you, I don't need any."

"Until everything is sorted." Asami's voice was quiet.

Akihito's heart plunged. If _that person_ was still alive, he will definitely come and find Akihito. It's just a matter of when he comes back...

A hand was gently placed on top of his head, and a calm sense of relief washed over him.

Even if the darkness swallowed the light, it would be okay, because Asami would be with him.

Together, they watched the dark night descend upon the city.

* * *

The stew Haru told Akihito to keep on the heat before he left hadn't exploded.

Yet.

So far no hazardous waste had been produced.

At least today Haru trusted him enough with a pot of boiling food.

He took out his phone as an incoming message notification popped up.

It was from Kai.

Kai: Have you seen the latest news on DeathToWork? (΄ ◉ ◞ ౪ ◟◉ ｀ )

DeathToWork was an Internet forum for hackers, and where the latest news about the hacking world were shared.

It gained a credible reputation. Any information posted on the news bulletin were 99.9% legitimate due to only high-level hackers can enter the site.

Posting one false information on the news bulletin will earn you a ban for life, and rumour was that you will also lose one of your eyeballs.

So far only one person dared to try, and no one had heard from him since.

Akihito: No, smth interesting?

Kai: *dramatic music*

Kai: *drumroll*

Kai: *dum dum dum*

Akihito: ...

Kai: Apparently zero_00 is back! ~\\( ≧▽≦ )/~

The spoon fell from Akihito's hand, echoing loudly in the silent room.

Kai: You know zero_00 right?

The one and only zero_00!

The super elite-god-like hacker! But he hasn't been active for a while so many people assumed he had retired or died _:(´ ཀ ` 」 ∠ ):

Kai: Check it out on DeathToWork! ٩ ( ˃̶͈̀ ௰ ˂̶͈́ ) و

The phone slipped from Akihito's hands.

He ran to the bathroom, leaned over the toilet, and threw up.


End file.
